Is the Russian government muzzling the media?

Published time: 21 Jul, 2012 00:00 Edited time: 21 Jul, 2012 16:23

A general view of the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament (Reuters/Sergei Karpukhin) / Reuters

­Alexey Volin – Russian Deputy Communications MinisterThe Russian Parliament has recently passed two strongly debated bills. The first would criminalize defamation, and the second would make it easier to ban websites if they are considered harmful. Most civil rights groups oppose the bills, warning they could curtail internet and mass media freedoms in Russia. So, is it true that they will potentially be harmful? And, in general, what is the Russian government’s current policy towards mass media? We’ll discuss these pressing issues with the man in charge of it all, Alexey Volin, Russia’s deputy communications minister.